The Dancing Alchemist
by IzzyIsAUnicorn
Summary: Kayla strives for the best. But, with a past as dark as hers will she be given the chance to show her worth? Will she rise or will she crumble? EdXOC
1. The Daily Life of Kayla

_A girl was running down a completely deserted street. Tears were streaming down her face and a look of pain in her eyes. She didn't know where to go, but she kept on running. She saw a shadow cast behind her. As she quickly turned around her breathe caught as she saw- _

I sat up quickly in her bed with small beads of sweat streaming down my face. I looked up at the clock and moaned slightly.

'Shit', I thought, 'I should probably get up now if I don't want to be late.'

I really didn't want to be late today. I was going to take the State Alchemist Exam and wanted to seem at least a little bit reliable.

I groaned slightly as I rolled off my bed onto her hardwood floor. This was now a ritual for every morning to wake me up. I would roll off my bed, hit my head, get some headache tablets and then be too awake to fall back asleep. It was fool proof in my mind.

I looked through my mess that was originally a cupboard and searched for some decent clothes to wear. After about 10 minutes of rummaging I found her favourite pair of skinny jeans, with one of my many black tank tops. I quickly snatched my lucky brown parka and I ran out the door while grabbing my very well worn in black combat boots.

"Shitshishitshit, I'm late, I'm late", I whispered under my breath as I ran to the Western Command, where I'm taking my exam. I punched the button for the elevator as I attempted to pull my shoes on. The doors opened just as I had gotten my left boot on. I quickly pushed the Ground Floor level's button while pulling on my second boot on.

As soon as the doors opened I rushed out the hotel and sprinted as fast as I could. I ran for nearly 20 minutes before I finally saw the hideous building known as Western Command centre. I rushed to the gate when a military soldier stopped me.

"What?" I said with venom laced through my voice, "If you can't tell, I'm kind of in a rush here."

"Ma'am we can't let civilians without access into this area," the soldier stated, trying to sound dominant, "So if you could please step aside."

I shoved the letter she had received that stated I was there for military business in his face and waited for him to move out of my freaking way.

He simply gave and nod and she continued her running. She had to go to the Third Examination Room and had to stop someone so I could get directions… What? I have no sense of direction whatsoever.

I saw people lining up outside the door and started to slow my pace to a jog. I went to the back of the line when a guy who looked to be in his thirty's turned to look at me.

"May I help you?" I asked as sweetly as I could, putting my innocent façade on. So then, when we do out practical and they all think I'm weak I can teach them a lesson about judging someone based on how they present themselves to the world.

"Are you sure you're in the right place?" He asked obviously confused to why a fifteen year old was in the line to take an exam that people took over 10 years to prepare for.

"Yes, I am. I'm here to become a State Alchemist, like everyone else here. Anything else I can do for you, _sir_?" I said letting my temper get the best of me.

"Women shouldn't do alchemy, they should stay at home and cook and clean." He said with arrogance in his tone.

I smirked. I wanted to verse this guy in my practical. I wanted to show him that women are just as capable as men. If not, more so.

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't quite catch your name. Could you please tell me?" I said, sugar-coating my voice as much as I could. He caught on the he pissed me off and didn't look one bit apologetic.

"Brayden Shyr" He said cockily. He really must have convinced himself that he can beat me at my own game.

"Well Mr Shyr, I wish you good luck and dearly hope we see each other in the practical." I threaten.

I heard my name being called, so I walk up to the desk to get my name marked off and go into the Exam room.

The written exam consisted of writing down different formulas, drawing basic transmutation circles and writing down what your preferred alchemy is.

It was difficult to write my preferred alchemy, because I use a bit of every alchemy. The ones I mainly use are fire, water and lightning though.

For the next part of the State Alchemist Exam we split off into two groups, half of us go to the Interview first and the others go to the Practical first. I didn't care where I went first, as long as I got to compete with Brayden.

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**Hey Guys!**

**This is my first ever FanFic! :O YAY!**

**Well, if you guys could leave some advice and tips for me I will love you forever!**

**Thanks~**

**Izzy**


	2. A New Friend

**Second Chapter! Awww yeeee!**

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I was walking to the Interview rooms with the rest of people. Apparently it is unknown for a girl to take the Exam because I was getting the strangest looks. I ran my fingers through my long, dirty blonde hair and took a deep breathe. This was a habit I picked up from my mother. Whenever I was nervous or tired I would constantly touch my hair. Weird habit, don't worry, I know.

"Kayla Vardaman," A soldier started waiting for me. I threw my hand up and waited for him to see me. Nobody being able to see you is one of the many disadvantages of being shorter than everyone else here. I'm not short for my age; I'm a solid 5' 4, give or take 2 inches. Once the soldier finally saw me flailing my arm around he pointed me into the interview room.

When I got inside the room, it defiantly was not what I was expecting. There was a chair that looked completely unstable and four people whose faces were covered by shadows. The second person to the left pointed to the seat, obviously offering for me to sit down.

"So, Kayla," one of them started "What alchemy do you excel in?" Another finished

I tried to squint to see them but had no luck. "Fire, Water and Lightning" I explained remembering they asked me a question.

* * *

The interview continued with questions being asked as soon as I answered them. It really takes a lot of energy out of you, so as soon as I got back into the waiting room I sat on one of the blue couches.

I took a look around at the room to familiarize myself with myself with not only who was around me but what the room itself looked like. In each corner of the room was a ficus in a pot plant. However they all looked dead. There were two armchairs on either side of the door to the interview room. The door to the hallways of Western Command and the door to the Interview room were opposite each other and had a similar design of a plain door, except the door to the hallway was a mahogany type wood, while the other was more of an oak. On the two walls that didn't have any doors there were two deep blue couches that could easily fit four people on.

Other than that the room was pretty plain, with white tiled floors and a light blue paint on the walls.

I closed my azure coloured eyes for a while to collect my thoughts. After about 10 minutes of thinking I opened my eyes to see a pair of green eyes staring back at me.

"AH! WHAT THE HELL" I yelled at the guy. He looked a bit older than me. He had shaggy brown and emerald coloured eyes. He was a bit taller than me, maybe 5' 7 or something. He was a little bit thin, but had really good muscle definition. In other words, he was hot.

He jumped back a little bit at my outburst, but then grinned widely. I gave him a slightly confused look as he stuck out his hand.

I hesitantly took it and shook it as he cheerily said "Hey, I'm Oscar! It's nice to meet you!"

I was slightly taken back by his enthusiasm but quickly regained my composure and smiled at him.

"Hi, I'm Kayla," I laughed, "Pleased to meet you Oscar."

"Oh, I already knew your name." he said knowingly. Seeing my confused face he added sounding embarrassed "Uh, I'm, uh, not a stalker. It's just that you're the only girl that's been accepted into this exam and everyone here is, uh, talking about you."

At this stage he was covering and embarrassed blush while I began laughing.

"I think we're going to be good friends Oscar." I said giggling.

"Thanks? I think" he said with a bewildered look on his face. He shoved his hand out again making me confused again. "We need to start walking to the arena, so I'm giving you the incredibly awesome opportunity to walk with me!"

I burst out into laughter again and grabbed his arm, linking it with mine. "So, Oscar," I began while opening the door to the hallway, "_What alchemy do you excel in?_" I asked, imitating the interviewers.

**Oscar P.O.V**

"_What alchemy do you excel in?_" She asked exactly how the interviewers asked.

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly and shrugged. " I'm learning in the field of Air Alchemy."

As I said this, her eyes widened in awe, "OH MY GOD CAN YOU SHOW ME!" she squealed.

I winced a little before laughing. Despite only knowing her for about 10 minutes I already knew her to be calm and cool, so this was extremely out of character for her.

"Remember, we're going to Practical, you can see it there." I explained trying to compress my laughter.

I was about to crack when I turned around and saw her pouting. 'She's so adorable' I thought, '… did I seriously just say that?' I mentally slapped myself.

I looked her over again and noticed my thoughts were very close to the truth. She had long, blondish hair that went all the way to her hips when it was in the high ponytail she was wearing. She had the brightest blue eyes I have ever seen and her olive skin looked really soft. She was wearing a black tank top that accentuated her curves and the skinny jeans she wore showed how long her legs were.

'She's not adorable, she's gorgeous.' I concluded

**Kayla P.O.V**

"Helllloooo?" I asked waving my hand in front of Oscars face, "Anyone home?"

He blinked a few times before looking at me, grabbing my arm and running towards the arena.

"WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE AND I'LL BE THE WORST FRIEND EVER IF I DON'T GET YOU THERE NOW!" He yelled hysterically.

I snatched my arm back and started running next to him, because I hate being dragged. We went through the labyrinth of plastered walls, mismatched doors and soldiers who probably thought we were crazy. If they did, I honestly wouldn't blame them because I felt ridiculous.

After what seemed like an hour of running, when in reality it was about 15 minutes we found the rest of our group and blended in until we got to the arena.

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**This one is for you luna midknight!**

**Thanks for reviewing c:**

**When you review you will receive a free invisible pumpkin!**

**Thanks guys **

**~Izzy**


	3. A Battle!

**Okay! Finally for the Practical Part of the Exam!**

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"Okay everyone, my name is Brigadier General Fortier. The previous group showed much skill, so the bar is set high for you guys." Fortier announced. He's a Brigadier General, huh? That means I'll make sure to impress.

"This year you are allowed to choose who you are going to verse and show off your skill against," he continued, "How well you do is going to be the major influence on whether or not you will be chosen for the State Alchemist position."

I smirked knowing exactly who I would pick and who would pick me. Oscar picked up on my smile and started freaking out.

"KAYLA, WHAT'S WRONG? YOU AREN'T GOING TO PICK ME ARE YOU? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT ALCHEMY YOU USE! ARE YOU PLOTTING MY DEMISE? THAT'S NOT WHAT FRIENDS ARE SUPPOSED TO DO. THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE KIND AND-" he shouted.

"Shut up, Oscar," I hissed at him before he could continue, "I had an argument with a particular sexist man in our group and I'm going to make sure he remembers me." I briefly explained.

"OHHHHHH, so you aren't going to hurt me?" he asked, still being a little bit cautious around me.

"No, I won't hurt you just yet. Maybe later if I'm feeling in the mood I will." I said with a straight face, making Oscar shudder.

Our conversation was interrupted by Fortier asking for any volunteers to go first. I smirked knowing this was my chance and shot up my hand.

He looked over to me, probably startled by the sudden movement.

"Ah, yes, Ms Vardaman, do you wish to go first?" He asked casually and I nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, who do you want to verse?"

"Mr Shyr, please." I said containing my laughter. Brayden looked at me, obviously shocked. He was probably thinking something like '_This girl dares to challenge me! What a pitiful fool. She needs to be cleaning and cooking while I can show off my manliness!_'

Bleh.

"Mr Brayden Shyr, do you accept this young ladies challenge?" Fortier asked for confirmation.

"I'm going to teach this girl that women should know they're place." He whispered to one of his friends, making me frown. "I accept the challenge" he said rather loudly.

"Alright, well if you two need to make anything, you will have 10 minutes of preparation." Fortier explained as he went to the room of evaluators.

I walked up to one of the other soldiers that were around, because Fortier went into an out of bounds room.

"May I help you?" He asked with curiosity filling his eyes.

"I was wondering if you had any ignition cloth I could use for my duel." I asked making myself seem innocent again. It's fun to confuse people.

"Oh, I'll grab some for you now, uh, yeah." He said obviously flustered. I inwardly smirked, knowing what he was thinking.

"Thank you kindly" I said with a wink. The poor guy nearly collapsed. Oops.

A few minutes later he came back with the ignition cloth and kept blushing while looking at the ground.

"Thanks! Hopefully when I become a State Alchemist I'll see you around!" I giggled. He blushed more and the ground apparently became more interesting. See what I mean? Confusing people is fun!

I ran to a secluded spot behind a tree and put the cloth on the ground. I clapped my hands together and threw them to the ground. The familiar blue sparks appeared and the cloth was now a glove. I smiled at my work and slipped the glove on. Perfect fit!

"Uhhh, Kayla?" I heard behind me. I spun around and probably looked like a dear in headlights.

'Okay think logically here maybe he didn't see-'

"Why didn't you use a transmutation circle?" Oscar inquired

'… Shit.'

"Well, um, you see, uh, it's a long story?" I managed to squeak out.

"Okay," he said sceptically, "Well, the reason I'm here is to tell you that everyone's waiting for you to show up to your fight."

"Okay, I'll be there in a second." My voice wavered. I was on the brink of tears and I'm pretty sure Oscar could tell. I turned from him because I don't like people seeing me cry.

"Well, if you ever need anything I'm always here." His voice sounded closer than before, so I turned around and he was directly in front of me. I threw my arms around his waist and hugged him for a little bit, trying to collect my thoughts.

He was drawing circles on my back, which soothed me a lot.

After we stopped hugging, I took his hand and started to walk back to our group. We got about halfway back when I remembered something.

"Oscar, do you know anything about mechanics?" I asked, hoping he said yes.

"I know a little bit, why do you ask?" He responded.

"Do you know enough to give something of mine a check-up?"

"Miss Vardaman, are you asking me out?" he accused.

I started furiously blushing "NO IT'S NOT LIKE THAT, I SWEAR!"

"Uh-huh sure it isn't. Answering your question, I don't really know. I can swing by your place tonight and take a look if that helps."

"Yes please" I mumbled.

* * *

Brayden stood across from me on our field. It was a rather large field with trees surrounding us. Fortier had come out of the Evaluation room to count us down.

"Alright then, are both participants ready?" Fortier announced and after two nods he started the count down.

"3," Brayden got into a defensive stance

'Interesting,' I thought making a mental note.

"2," I got into an offensive stance as I watched Brayden's face flash a small sign of regret.

'Even more interesting…' I thought.

"1, Go." Fortier exclaimed using his best announcer voice.

I quickly ran at him, clapping my hands together, working on creating the oxygen molecules around us into water. Simple stuff really.

I created a quick whip out of the rather large amount of water I transmuted and grabbed his left foot tripping him backwards.

"W-what? Where's your transmutation circle?" He stuttered.

"One of the perks you learn about me." I smirked. "Let's see if you can guess what comes next." I taunted holding my fingers, ready to click.

His eyes widened in fear as he acted on what I suppose would be his adrenaline rushing. He quickly slapped his hands on the floor, lifting a spike which I nearly completely avoided. I clutched my right side which was bleeding out.

'He didn't draw a transmutation circle.' I looked over at him and took a glance at his hands and noticed a familiar black ink. 'Of course he has tattoos on his hands. That bastard.'

I focus back onto my match and see him running at me. He rushed a left hook and I had to quickly duck out of his reach. I stood up as he went for a right jab, so I grabbed onto his arm and used it as leverage to do a flip over his head, buying me a little bit of time. I winced remembering I was bleeding.

"It kind of looks like we're dancing, hey Brayden," I taunted, preparing to click again, "Well, this has been fun. But I'm kind of bleeding out here, so I'll have to cut it short."

He turned around as I clicked my fingers with my ignition cloth, then toying with the oxygen molecules and made a controlled flame. I burnt the bottom of his pants and the cuff of his shirt. I clicked again and struck some thunder behind him. While he turned around to find what made the noise, I ran up behind him, pinned his hand with the Transmutation Circle behind his back and dug my knee into his spine.

As I held his arm for a few more seconds a let out a deep breath while I held my side which was starting to hurt more and more as continued to walk. As soon as I saw Oscar he looked at me with complete and utter awe. I smiled back to him, right before fainting.

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**Wait, she did alchemy without a circle! And she was enquiring about a mechanic!**

**She couldn't have, could she?**

**:O**

**Review and you will receive a bird with a taco on top of it.**

**~Izzy**


	4. Filler Chapter, I guess

**I don't know exactly how I feel about this chapter.**

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**Oscar P.O.V**

'OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT SHE'S PASSED OUT. I AM THE WORST FRIEND EVER' I picked her up and ran to Fortier.

"Where's the nurses office?" I screamed hysterically to Fortier. He quickly turned around and glared at me with a look of fury in his eyes, until he saw Kayla and his expression softened a little bit.

"Go inside, turn left and it's the fifth door on the right." He directed.

I didn't wait for him to say anything else as I ran inside. I ran into about 5 different people before I got to the nurse. I crashed through the door, startling the nurse.

"SHE'S BLEEDING! HELP MEEEE! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! SHE WAS IN A FIGHT FOR THE STATE ALCHEMIST EXAM AND SHE'S HURT NOWWW!" I was freaking out by now if you couldn't tell.

"Just put her on the bed, go back to the group and I will take care of her. She's lucky to have such a caring boyfriend." The nurse calmly said.

My mouth dropped and I probably turned as red as humanly possible. 'Boyfriend' I kept repeating in my head as a slowly walked back to the arena.

**Kayla P.O.V**

_A young girl with short, dirty-blonde hair and big blue eyes hid under a table as she watched her mother get murdered. She was too terrified to do anything. Her mother had told her about 10 minutes earlier when there was a knock on the door to hid and to not come out until she was sure no-one was around._

_When the screaming had finally ceased and she heard the door open and close again she got out of her hiding spot. She went straight to her mother. Her mother was extremely pale and she had blood all throughout her short brown hair._

_The little girl ran to the shop she knew her father worked at and began crying._

_Her father noticed her, his brown eyes filling with worry as he went to pick his daughter up._

_"Sweetie, what's wrong? Stop crying, it's alright. Sh, sh, sh. Where's your mother?" Her father asked with his constant calm and soothing voice._

_"Mummy, blood, pale." The little girl struggled to say. Her father's eyes widened then his eyes began to water._

_He yelled to anyone who could hear him "I'm going home, right now." _

_When they got home the little girl's father broke down into tears. He knelt down next to his wife's lifeless body and cried._

I opened my eyes, then immediately regrated it. There was a light right above me that was too bright. I squinted at the light then looked at my surroundings. I was in a room with light green walls and a slightly off white coloured tile. There were three beds lined up all with the same green colour as the walls covering them.

I sat up and winced at the pain on my right side. I looked at my stomach and saw bandages wrapping the injury I had recently gotten.

"Ah, you're awake. Well, in that case you're free to go. You have completed the exam and you are no longer needed at the Western Command." I looked over to where the voice was coming from and saw Brigadier General Fortier.

"Yes, sir" I plainly said as I attempted to salute. He laughed at my attempt and put his hand up as if to tell me to stop.

"You will be contacted to whether or not you will be accepted. If you are, you will have to travel to Central to receive your name and pocket watch. You will also be put under one of the higher ups there." He explained.

"Thank you for explaining for me. I hope I get in."

"If you did as well in your interview and written exam than your practical, you will get in easily." He encouraged.

"Thank you, sir. I'll hopefully see you around." I said as I walked out the door.

As soon as I got out of the Western Command gates, I saw Oscar waiting impatiently.

"Well, hey there! How was your fight?" I yelled over to him. He jumped and turned around to see me on the floor in laughter.

"Not. Funny." He said with a death glare, "But, it went well, I won."

"WAIT A SECOND! I DIDN'T GET TO SEE YOUR ALCHEMY!" I pouted, making him laugh at my childish behaviour.

"Well maybe next time. Now you said you wanted me to take a look at something for my mechanic expertise and manliness." He said while attempting to flex.

"Oh yeah, I nearly forgot!"

"Don't tell me you forgot about me!" He held his heart, "If you've forgotten about me, how am I supposed to go on?"

"Oh stop being so dramatic. Let's go!"

"Lead the way, oh fantastic alchemy one." He bowed.

Needless to say I whacked him over the head for that one.

We walked into my large apartment, I threw my keys into the bowl near the door and I went straight to the kitchen.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" I yelled out to him.

I heard a muffled "No thanks" so I got out one cup and filled it with water.

"Okay, so what did you want me to look at?" He asked, eyes brimming with curiosity.

"You're going to be the first person to see this so please don't freak out." I briefly explained as I ran to my room to get some shorts.

"Uh, Kayla, um, what exactly am I giving a check-up?" He asked, now worried.

"You'll see." I said as I pulled on some shorts.

I walked out of the room and his back was turned to me. I rubbed my leg nervously, the cool metal leaving a tingling feeling on my fingers.

"Oscar." I whispered, hoping I was loud enough to get his attention.

He turned around and his eyes widened as he saw my leg. He looked uneasy for a second and I immediately regretted showing him. 'I honestly don't know why I decided it was a good idea to trust him with my deepest secret. I thought I could trust him.' My thoughts were interrupted by him clearing his throat.

"Are you sure you want me to do this, if I stuff something up you might not be able to walk." He whispered back.

"You're the only person I've trusted enough to show," I admitted, "So can you please just do this for me?"

"I'll see what I can do. Do you have any books about automail I can look at?" He sighed in defeat.

I handed him one of the books I had on automail, my tool box and he began to work on my leg. After about an hour I felt the twisting, pulling and rubbing on my leg stop, so I looked over to Oscar.

He had a look of accomplishment on his face and just as I was about to ask him what had happened he quickly got up and started to dance.

"I DID IT, I DID IT! THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN! GET UP WALK AROUND AND TELL ME HOW I DID." He yelled in his usual over-the-top voice.

Following his advice, I stood up and started to walk around. My eyes widened in shock because my leg felt better than it ever had. I ran at him and jumped on him. I was so happy at the moment.

"I LOVE YOU SO MUCH OSCAR! YOU'RE MY NEW MECHANIC!" I was on the brink of tears. I was finally happy with the direction my life was going in.

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**Guys, if you could please please please leave a review it will help me so much.**

**I don't care if it's hate, I just want to know what I can do better so I can become a better writer.**

**If I become a better writer then you guys get higher quality writing!**

**~Izzy**


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